dbutcher

Don't semi-retire from skiing. You will enjoy skiing with the Boskus clan. They are good people, and they have a great site. I'm surprised you didn't go to one or more of the many tournaments he's hosted. What is the attraction to NW Arkansas? Will Jed have a driver after you leave? Not sure if his wife drives or not, but I'm sure she could learn.

I use 2 pr. of cotton glove liners under ski gloves. They cost about 25 cents a pair, and I get them at Tractor Supply or Ace Hardware. Some people may object to the thickness of two pair under regular ski gloves, but they do not bother my rather large hands. No callouses or sore hands either.

I make mine out of Rubbermaid - size and shape I want. As far as I know they are fine.

Unless you have family with whom you can ski, think about who you will ski with before you buy a lake as sole owner. Some parts of this country have ski lakes sitting around idle because there are no skiers anymore. It's a shame.

I am age 76 and ski on a 69" Radar Senate Pro. The size is right for me at 30.4 mph and my 190 lb. weight. I start at -22 and sometimes get into -35. It works just fine at 30.4 and all those line lengths. I'm looking forward to trying one or more 68" skis this fall, but my guess is that I will end up back on the 69". You are much too young for a "senior" ski!!! Unless, of course, my 69" Senate is a senior ski. Who is to say?

Unless I am just plain missing it, it appears that elongation standards for slalom lines have been taken out of the AWSA rule book (perhaps on 5/3/2020). If so, is that not the root of the problem people are discussing above. If elongation standards were taken out of the rule book, WHY? I believe elongation (elasticity) standards still exist for handles. Technical controllers and rules experts, please chime in. I don't personally care, but it appears that many people may.

@unksskis Sorry, but no. Rule 10.16 B 4 on page 64 of the AWSA rule book specifically states that "A skier cannot provide his/her own slalom rope".

I think we are all head cases. Just grab the handle and ski.

Does it matter whether that B2 was class L? Most were class E.

There is a website that has a good price on slalom ropes and handles right now. It is not an advertiser on BOS so I won't identify it. Private message me if you want.

Two 50 lb. weight bags are much more convenient and quicker. Also bags are infinitely and immediately adjustable to achieve level. No pump failures or water leaks. No freeze danger because the tank wasn't completely emptied in the fall. I've seen one Carbon Pro that leveled up pretty well with just one 50 lb. bag.

Let some air out of an empty trailer's tires, as much as you can without damaging the tires. I would guess that 30 lbs. would make an empty trailer ride better and not damage the tires.

That is impressive skiing.

@Jmoski I agree with most everything you said above. You have the right outlook in my opinon. I am a M9 slalom skier (age 76). I have never had great athletic ability in any sport, but water skiing is so much fun for me that I did (and do) it a lot. Simple repetition and desire kept me improving. About two years ago, my performance began to decline however. I used to run -35 in almost every practice session and fairly often in tournaments. That is not happening anymore. There are at least two reasons I believe. First, my age and health have decreased my stamina and energy. I now take 4 pass sets whereas formerly it was often 6 or more. Reduced stamina and reduced practice just plain hurt tournament performances and even practice performances. But you, barring some catastrophe, should be looking forward to 15 or 20 years of improving and then maintaining. The answer to your question, i.e. the last line of your today's post, is yes. @animal I didn't adjust my expectations until age 75. But you are correct about reflexes and strength diminishing with age. That is why AWSA slows the boat speed for older skiers. An older skier can still get into short line for example, but at 30 mph instead of 36. The buoy count is lower, but the psychology is beefed up by the fact that one is still getting into -38 or whatever. Amateur water skiing does not have the same expectations as professional sports. Think NFL football. A 75 year old there would be carried off the field in the first quarter, maybe the first play; and most old slalom skiers would likely not make an opening pass at 36 mph. I can also tell you that lowering my expectations was and IS difficult. I hate it, and hopefully I will for years to come.

@Fast351 I don't ski quite as much as you - wish I could- but no blisters and no callouses for me.

I wear two pair of cotton liners under Tail 41 gloves. Last time I bought them, I bought a pack of a dozen or more, and they were less than fifty cents a pair at Tractor Supply. I did go up a size on the actual ski gloves though. I have big hands so the three layers are still completely comfortable and effective for me.

I used to use a rear toe kicker (and loved it) until I started skiing on a short lake. If I missed the kick in on the first try, my gate shot was ruined. Also, occasionally I wouldn't get my back foot in tightly, and it would either feel loose or come out. Not fun. Toe loops don't last nearly as long as a full back boot, at least in my experience. I used to carry an extra toe loop with me all the time because I never knew when one might break. Having the back foot free, deep, and behind the body is definitely easier on the pull up, but I am no longer willing to risk a missed first pass in a tournament.

Gas in the bilge sounds dangerous. There are many places that could leak gas starting at the tank all the way to and including the carb. I am not an expert, but it may be possible that the carb can leak gas into the crankcase even when the boat is not running. On oil, you should read the owner's manual for your engine. My 2015 PCM manual specifies 15w/40 with classification GF-4SM. SN is the updated SM. You are right that 15w/40 is typically diesel oil, and not all diesel oils have either the SM or SN classification. I have been told that the SM or SN makes the oil acceptable for use in gasoline engines.

I hope your mechanic is a marine mechanic or at least knows not to run your engine without water - hose will work, lake is better. It's way too early to be terrified.

The sending unit could be the culprit too.

First, I would wonder about the oil pressure gauge. Next, if there is really that much extra oil in the motor, I would be concerned about fuel dilution (gasoline getting into the oil). Change the oil immediately and see if it happens again. I don't know for sure, but I doubt that extra oil would increase oil pressure? 60 psi at idle would not be unusual when the engine is cold. 80 lbs at high RPM may not be disastrous, but you said the pressure is getting higher each time you run it. That is troubling. Still the gauge is the first thing to check (IMHO) and getting the excess oil out needs to be done very soon. I am not a mechanic, just a long time inboard owner. Good luck.

I recommend reading again. I think optional light towlines can be used by B1, B2, G1, G2, W6 and above. The rest of us use what the tournament sponsor provides. At Nationals this year that will be ML Optimized 2.0., and most Regionals will use the same. I don't know of any rule that prevents a sponsor from offering both a standard line and an Optimized line, but that creates more expense, work, and hassle for the sponsor. In that event, would you get a re-ride if you didn't get the rope you asked for? My guess is that judges don't want to deal with that.

Nationals will use Masterline Optimized 2.0 for slalom per USAWS Nationals website. It would seem that most or all Regionals would copy that.

Why not use actual weights instead of a scale? 44 lbs. of weights are 44 lbs. 44 lbs. on a scale - I'm never 100% sure. You might get into a rare situation where the handle length is really, really close to tolerance. Of course if that happens, I guess the owner should just shorten it - unless he or she is next off the dock and has no time. Shame on him/her for not checking earlier, but stuff happens. Nobody wants to tie a knot in their handle.

Click on the sellers BOS name. It gives you his state and lake name at least.